In the Dark of the Night
by The Emcee
Summary: Superheroes AU. Tadashi watches over the people of San Fransokyo, helping out any who need it while always trying to do what was right. And then he bumps into Hiro and everything changes. Hidashi. Slash
1. First Encounters

Title: In the Dark of the Night

Author: The Emcee

Pairing: Hidashi

Summary: Superheroes AU. Tadashi watches over the people of San Fransokyo, helping out any who need it while always trying to do what was right. And then he bumps into Hiro and everything changes.

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N: I know I shouldn't be starting another story, but I just can't stop it! I just adore this pairing so much and there are so many ideas that are coming to me. Anyway, this AU is kind of like Batman I guess (I've been a huge Batman fan since I was, like, 3) and it's kind of like the relationship Batman and Catwoman share I guess? (I don't even know to be hoenst...) I don't know when I'll be able to update this one, but hopefully it won't take me forever to do so. Please feel free to leave a comment in the towel section! R&R. Enjoy!

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**In the Dark of the Night**

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**First Encounters**

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Tadashi had only been at this for a year. He had a routine down by now, but the city, as alive and busy as it always is, always threw him some kind of curve every night. For the most part, his nights were steady as he leapt from buidling to building, thankful that his suit and gear worked and functioned perfectly - it always did as he kept regular maintainance on it and checked it every evening before heading out. Baymax, his creation, his robotic nurse, wasn't fully functional yet and still had a lot of kinks to work out, but Tadashi looked forward to the day when he'd be able to bring along his robot with him as he made his rounds, just in case someone was injured.

Usually, San Fransokyo had a low crime rate, for which he was grateful. Tadashi wasn't equiped for fighting and he didn't think he could fight anyone anyway. If someone got hurt because of something he had done...well...he'd rather not think about it. Besides, the entire reason why he started doing this was to help people, not to hurt them. If anyone needed help, Tadashi would give it to them. Helping others was one of the things he did best and he wasn't going to just stand by idly when he had the capability of doing something. Thankfully, being the top of his class at SFIT gave him access to equipment and resources that he wouldn't be able to get a hold of normally.

While the police officers, fire fighters, and EMTs were more than capable of doing their jobs, Tadashi felt that they could use a hand. The fact of the matter was, they all just couldn't show up at every crime scene or every single emergency. Someone else needed to be available, needed to care enough to delve into whatever the city could throw at them and Tadashi willingly signed up for it. Not only that, but he didn't want anyone to go through what his Aunt Cass had to go through a little over a year ago...

He pushed that thought out of his mind. There was work to be done and although the city was calm now, the night was young and there was little time to waste. Someone out there needed help, the city needed protecting and Tadashi was going to do it even if it cost him his life.

Effortlessly, he flung himself across the roof of the buidling he had been perched on and onto the roof of the next one, making his way silently as he did so, a dark shadow in the dark of the night. His ears were listening in on the noise below, taking in everything that was going on while his eyes scanned street to street, person to person (part of Tadashi thought that he was some kind of lab experiment since his senes seemed sharper than others, but perhaps he was just born that way).

Tadashi had just entered the downtown area of the city, the part that had the most crime and housed most of those in need - as well as the undesirables - when he heard a loud, angry shout.

Stopping, he gazed down below into an alleyway and observed, listened. Around the corner, a small body ran into the alley, clutching something in its hand. Tadashi couldn't make out if it was a male or female or how old he or she was, but he did know that whoever it was was being chased by men larger than the unidentified person. Almost immediately, Tadashi recognized them: it was Yama and a couple of his thugs. Yama was notoriouis for getting into trouble with the law and Tadashi had often times clashed with the man after he stole someone's wallet or purse or something or other. Honestly, the man just didn't learn.

Worried, Tadashi made to jump down in the alleyway when the smaller body grabbed onto a fire escape ladder and hoisted himself up. Climbing it with a speed Tadashi hadn't seen before, the figure turned and that was when Tadashi realized that it was a boy, perhaps sixteen years old if that. He was dressed in a suit like Tadashi's, only his was dark purple and black and he wore shorts and a helmet with pointed ears (he knows that's not what they are but his brain couldn't come up with the term right then and there). The boy was panting heavily, but he was smirking, showing an adorable gap between his two front teeth.

"Megabot! Get 'em!" Tadashi heard the boy say and a small robot jumped off of the boy's back and landed on Yama's face. Tadashi had to cover his mouth to stop himself from being heard as the robot attacked the larger man's face.

He couldn't help it; it was funny.

Hearing the boy laugh drew Tadashi's attention back to him and he watched as the boy ran up the rest of the fire escape and onto the roof. Glancing down, he saw the robot - Megabot - jump off of Yama's face - who was now on the ground with his thugs surrounding him, looking panicked and freaked out - and scaled the building, probably to return to its owner. Intrigued, and not forgetting that the boy had something clutched in his hand, Tadashi jumped to the roof and followed after him. After a few blocks and a few roof tops later, the boy finally stopped and leaned against a doorway that lead into the building that they were currently standing on. Tadashi kept to the shadows, his blood coursing through his veins, his heart racing.

This would be the first time he met someone dressed like himself before, so he figured that maybe, just maybe, this boy was doing the same thing he was only in his own way. That made Tadashi even more concerned than he already was though. He was small for his age, only coming up to Tadashi's chest, and skinny. Tadashi doubted that he was physically strong, but he was quite agile.

For some unexplainable reason, Tadashi wanted to talk to him really badly. It was odd; for his entire life, Tadashi had been obsessed with tehnology and robotics and had never had an interest in anyone, yet here he was, intrigued by this boy. And why? Because he had made a tiny robot attack Yama's face? Whatever the reason behind it, Tadashi found himself stepping out of the shadows and speaking to him.

"You know, Yama isn't the kind of guy people normally steal from," Tadashi said, knowing he sounded amused and calm. He watched as the boy jumped and turned to him, his big, brown eyes wide and startled. Upon seeing Tadashi, he scrutinized him and after a moment deemed him nonthreatening before he leaned casually against the door, smirking.

"Yeah, well, people like Yama need to be knocked down a few pegs, don't you think?" the boy countered.

"I suppose it depends. As long as no one gets hurt, there's nothing wrong with it," Tadashi said as he stepped closer. As he got closer, he realized that the boy was clutching a pink woman's purse and he grinned. Gesturing to it, he added, "Pink's not your color."

"I know. But purple is. That's why I choose it for my suit," the boy replied. "Yama took it from Mrs. Niikura when she was walking home, so I decided to pay them a visit."

"Mrs. Niikura? The woman who runs the gift shop downtown?" Tadashi asked, glad that things didn't feel awkward between them. Actually, they felt calm and normal, which was weird all things considered. But he liked it though. A lot.

"Mhm. Yama and his jerks know that she can't walk too well. Or see very well either. So, I ran after them and got Megabot to pounce on them," the boy chuckled. "One of them almost ran out into traffic." At that, Tadashi frowned.

"You shouldn't do things that'll hurt other people, no matter what they did," he said. "It's no one's place to decide who gets punished and how." The boy gave him a look, one that felt far more flirtatious than anything else. It made Tadashi's cheeks burn.

"What's wrong with a little punishment?" he asked. "Would you punish me if I was bad?"

"Uh..." Tadashi honestly had no idea what to say to that. No one had ever said anything like that to him before and although many people had asked him out and flirted with him, none of them had ever made it sound so...dirty...so provocative. It was a good thing the glass shielding his face was tinted or else his blush would be noticable. And how had they gone from someone almost dying to punishment of the sexual kind anyway? Just who was this kid?

"I don't even know your name," was all Tadashi managed to say. The boy's smirk widened and he stepped closer to Tadashi, his eyes hooded and gazing into his own.

"Do you really want to know my name?" the boy asked him. Tadashi nodded, unable to ignore just how close the smaller body was to his own or how the air around them seemed to be filled with electricity.

"Well then, you'll just have to catch me one of these nights, huh?" the boy said teasingly and then, before Tadashi could reply, he was running off, his laughter trailing behind him as he went.

Tadashi was left on the roof top, panting softly and his body tingling and missing the closeness of the other boy. After a minute of calming himself down from his unexpected reactions, Tadashi grinned to himself and stared off in the direction the boy had taken. So, he wanted to play a game of cat and house, eh? Well then, let the game begin.

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A/N: FYI, I got the title from 'In the Dark of the Night' from 'Anatasia', the movie. I hope you all enjoyed it! Let me know what you think!


	2. Bad Day

A/N: I know that you've all been waiting patiently for the second chapter of this story and I hope I didn't disappoint any of you. Thank you all for the support by the way; it really does mean a lot to me. Feel free to leave a comment in the towel section! R&R. Enjoy!

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**In The Dark of the Night**

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**Bad Day**

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Tadashi knew that tonight was just going to be one of those nights.

His day hadn't been that great to begin with. When he first woke up, he found that his alarm, for some unexplainable reason, hadn't gone off and he was nearly late for classes. Being late for classes meant that he hadn't been able to eat anything, and seeing as how he didn't eat dinner the night before because he stayed late at school to work on Baymax, Tadashi was starving and wasn't able to get anything until after his second class. Then, when he did get something to eat, some guy behind him bumped into him and made him drop his sandwich on the ground. Things didn't pick up from there and Tadashi was half tempted to just stay home. But he couldn't do that. He made a commitment and he was going to stick to it no matter what.

While he expected his night to be much like his day, Tadashi hadn't expected it to be as bad as it was.

Right off the bat, an old lady – why, oh why was it always old ladies? – had her purse snatched from her and when Tadashi retrieved it, which earned him a black eye and probably a bruised rib or two by the way, the lady slapped him and yelled at him for helping, saying she was perfectly capable of fending for herself. Whether she saw the large, open manhole further along the street she was walking on after Tadashi left, he didn't know – and part of him didn't care at that point.

And then, this little girl whom Tadashi had seen around his aunt's café a couple of times with her mom, asked him to get her cat out of a tree – seriously, what was it with old ladies' purses and cats in trees? The pour thing was obviously scared and shaking so badly that Tadashi took off his helmet and gloves so that he didn't scare it further. That didn't stop it from scratching his face a couple of times. He had never been glad to get away from his part of town before.

Things, naturally, only got worse.

He almost fell off the roof of this one building while he was jumping, something that had never happened before, ever. Someone threw a few rocks at his head – they missed the first and second time, but the third time was the charm. Tadashi almost got hit by a car and a helicopter – didn't anyone watch where they were going? – and he fell into the sewer after dodging some guy racing his motorcycle. Never before had he wanted to take a shower, but he still needed to check the last area of the city before he was calling it quits.

Tadashi was exhausted and drained by the time he had finished making his rounds. Luckily, it seemed that things had died down a bit, but he was still hitting his head on something or almost running his face smack into another thing. He had never had a bad day like this one and he was so glad that he was on his way home to a shower and a bed.

"Hey, punk. What'd you think you're doin'?" Tadashi heard a rough, deep voice call to him. He turned and groaned out loud. Standing before him was Yama and three of his goons. Just what he needed right as he was heading home. Figures. He should have been on alert when his night had stopped being so hectic and insane.

"Walking home," Tadashi said, almost sighing it. He was so darn tired; all he wanted was to get home, jump in the shower, and go to bed. Yama, however, had other plans.

"You know, I don't let just anyone walk on my streets in this city. People gotta pay a toll if they want safe passage around here," Yama said, laughing as he smirked down at Tadashi, his goons nodding and chuckling darkly.

"Look, I don't want any trouble," Tadashi told them. "I'll be outta your hair in a few minutes, okay?" While he did know how to defend himself, he didn't usually resort to violence to solve his problems and he really didn't think he'd be able to put up much of a fight in his current state anyway. If he looked as bad as he felt, then he probably looked like easy prey to them. Well…that sucked.

"No, it's not okay. What did I just tell you?" Yama snarled at him, his beady eyes narrowing. "You gotta pay up, bud."

"I don't have any money on me," Tadashi said. He never carried his wallet with him when he went out on his rounds.

"Did you hear that, boys? He doesn't have any money on him!" Yama told his goons, laughing loudly. "Do you know what that means?"

"We get to teach him a lesson?" one of his goons asked. Yama smirked and turned back to Tadashi.

"Yeah, we get to teach him a lesson he'll never forget," Yama growled and he and his goons started towards Tadashi.

Groaning inwardly, Tadashi ran down the street as fast as he could, mentally berating himself for not taking the roof tops as usual – he couldn't be blamed for sticking to the ground though after almost falling a second time and he wasn't even going to dare risking a third. But soon, the sheer exhaustion of the day caught up with him and Tadashi had to slow down. Glancing behind him, he saw that Yama and his gang were still following after him and would be upon him soon if his legs didn't move it. Unfortunately for him, they had no plans on cooperating and Tadashi growled as he tried and failed to run again. He was just too tired, too drained.

"You little rat! Thinkin' you can run from us without paying!" Yama shouted as him and Tadashi could hear his footsteps as he charged like a bull straight towards him.

"Oh no, you don't!" called a familiar voice, a voice that Tadashi recognized instantly, a voice that he still couldn't put a name to. Looking up, he saw the boy from three nights ago jump effortlessly from a fire escape onto the ground with the same tiny robot as before.

"Megabot, go get 'em!" he cried and his robot jumped from his creator's arms and raced towards Yama so fast that Tadashi could barely see him. And then, he was crawling up Yama's leg, who was shouting and kicking his leg out in an attempt to get the robot off of him. Tadashi would have laughed if his lungs would work.

"Hey, are you okay?" the boy asked him as he stepped up to him. Then he crinkled his nose and added, "Dude, you smell like the sewers." Tadashi released a breathy laugh, so very happy to see the boy and so very thankful that he was saving his skin.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I…uh, took a dive earlier," Tadashi explained as he watched Megabot twirl around Yama's large waist while Yama and his goons tried to pry him off. Every time one of them managed to, Megabot would hop on their faces before returning back to terrorizing Yama.

"If you wanted to go for a swim, the bay's over there," the boy said, pointing in the opposite direction. "You'd smell better if you would've gone there."

"It wasn't my idea," Tadashi replied.

"Uh huh. That's what they all say when they realize that the sewer kind of seriously smells," the boy quipped and grinned up at him. "But seeing as how you look like crap anyway, I'll let it slid this time."

"Oh gee, thanks. What would I ever do without your kindness?" Tadashi said, shaking his head and rolling his eyes, although he couldn't help but smile at his welcome company.

"Probably fall off a roof or something," the boy replied.

"I almost did. Twice tonight," Tadashi said. The boy gasped at him, his face mocking but not in an unkind way.

"You? No way! Not you, mister big shot!" At that point, Megabot had reached Yama's head and was pulling on his pony tail, making Yama cry while his goons stood there helpless and watched.

Come on," the boy said, nudging Tadashi's arm. "Let's go top side before they start chasing after you again."

They scaled the nearest building and watched as Megabot hopped off of Yama and crawled away, using an alternative route to reach them while Yama and his goons looked around for Tadashi. Laughing a bit at them, Tadashi walked away from the edge of the roof top and turned to the boy. Smiling down at him, he scratched the back of his head.

"Thanks for helping me out back there," he said. "I really owe you one." The boy shrugged and when Megabot scurried over to them, he bent and picked him up.

"No sweat. I'm sure you'd do the same for me," he replied.

"So, what brought you to this side of town?" Tadashi asked, wanting to talking to him more. He was hoping that maybe he'd be able to get the boy's name.

"Oh, you know, just looking around for knick knacks and what not for my inventions. Nothing out of the ordinary," he said and grinned up at him. "What about you? It sounds like you've been having a bad day."

"I have, but it just got better, so it wasn't all that bad," Tadashi said and he smiled when he saw a light blush spread across the boy's face. It was adorable and he just felt like standing there and talking to him for hours.

"Yeah, well, you should probably stay inside on bad days. We can't have you taking a swim in the sewers again, now can we?" the boy asked, grinning up at him.

"You mentioned something about inventions. Are you an inventor?" Tadashi asked him, yearning to learn more about the boy in front of him.

"It's a hobby of mine, I guess. I've been at it for years," the boy said nonchalantly with a shrug. "Why? Do you go to one of the nerd schools in this city or something?"

"Yeah, I go to a nerd school," Tadashi answered, grinning down at him. It was only then that he noticed that they were standing close to each other, much like the first time they had met a mere three days before.

"Sounds like fuuuuun," the boy said, elongating the word 'fun' and rolling his eyes. He was still grinning though. "Well, it's been fun, but I gotta go. See you later!" And before Tadashi could say a word, he was out of sight.

Tadashi reached out for him, but he was already gone. Frowning, missing the boy already, he turned and moved to make a jump when something caught him eye. It was a small, faded red back pack that was leaning against the small wall that surrounded the roof of the building. He hadn't noticed that the boy had had it before, but then, maybe he hadn't he. After all, he had jumped from a fire escape, so maybe he had already been up here? If so, then what was he doing up here in the first place and why?

Shrugging to himself, Tadashi picked the back pack up and examined it. It was old, tattered and fray at some places, and the coloring was starting to fade. It was a small pack, meant only to hold a few notebooks and other stuff, and it was light. Opening it up, Tadashi looked inside and, sure enough, there was a notebook with a few pens and pencils in it. He was about to close it when he caught sight of something written on the inside of the flap.

_Hiro Takachiho._

So, that was the boy's name. Hiro. Smiling like he had just won the lottery, Tadashi, with back pack in hand, began making his way home, wishing and hoping with all of his might that he'd see Hiro tomorrow night.


	3. Going Down with the Ship

A/N: I'm sorry that it's been so long since I've updated this story! I hope that this makes up for the wait, though. Feel free to leave a comment in the towel section. R&R. Enjoy!

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**In the Dark of the Night**

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**Going Down with the Ship**

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"So nice to see you an, Hiro Takachiho," Tadashi said as he approached the smaller boy. He saw Hiro's form stiffen and then turn around slowly to meet his gaze.

His trademark smirk spread across his face, but his eyes were worried, practically frantic. His expression didn't full Tadashi one bit. It was obvious that he was worried; just now, it appeared that he had been looking for something. Tadashi knew what it was: his back pack. After all, this was the roof where he had accidentally left it. And although Tadashi didn't go through his back pack, he could only imagine how frantic it probably made Hiro once he realized it was gone.

Like Tadashi, Hiro wore his own suit to protect his identity, and yet he had written his name on the inside flap of the back pack. It was probably something Hiro carried with him everywhere. Judging by the wear and tear, the back pack was old, which meant that Hiro probably had had it for quite some time.

"So, you figured out my name, huh?" Hiro tried to smirk, but again, Tadashi wasn't fooled. After discovering the boy's name, he did a little digging on his own and what he found had stunned as well as amazed him.

"That I did, Dr. Takachiho," Tadashi replied. The smirk was gone now and Hiro was visibly pale, even from the distance Tadashi was standing. A dark look crossed Hiro's face, but it was one of despair and pain.

"You found that out, too?" he muttered.

"As much as I'm guessing the press was allowed to release," Tadashi said, not unkindly. And he had read all that he could find when he typed in Hiro's name.

He graduated high school at twelve and then went on to receive a few degrees in college before he was drafted into some kind of plan for the military. When the plan had failed, resulting in Hiro losing his mother, father, and his best friend all at once, a big inquiry took place and Hiro's name eventually faded away from the public light. Tadashi didn't need much else to fill in the holes; that was pretty easy for him.

"Look, I'm not going to judge you and I certainly don't hate you or anything," Tadashi said and tossed Hiro's back pack at him. He caught it and gazed wide eyed at Tadashi, as though he couldn't believe what he had heard.

"You don't need to explain anything to me. Not unless you want to," Tadashi told him. "But I do like you and I hope to continue seeing you on my patrols every night."

Tadashi turned and was about to leave – he was at the end of his patrol and tomorrow was Monday, which meant a big test of course – but stopped when Hiro called out to him.

"Hey! Um…" he paused and bit his bottom lip, looking younger and vulnerable and Tadashi had to remember that he was only sixteen. He gave him a warm and friendly smile, hoping to eradicate some of the darkness that had seeped out from Hiro's soul and onto his face.

"Tadashi Hamada," Tadashi introduced himself, his smile never wavering. Hiro nodded.

"Tadashi, okay. Hey, Tadashi, I'm…not the person I was a few years ago," he said, obviously choosing his words carefully. "So…don't expect me to save anybody. I'm not a hero like you."

"If you say so," Tadashi said, still smiling. "I'll see you later, Hiro. Big test tomorrow!"

With that, he swung his legs over the side of the building and gently and gracefully landed on the fire escape. Within seconds, he was back on solid ground, making his way home cautiously, carefully, all the while thinking about Hiro.

Tadashi knew that even two years after the incident, Hiro wasn't the same person. Losing your parents and those you loved the most did that to you. The pain of that loss changes you and although you rebuild and grow again, you're not the same person you once were. He of all people knew that, understood it, could empathize with what Hiro had and/or was going through.

But he didn't pity Hiro or anything of the sort. Tadashi was greatly curious about him and wanted to get to know him and see him every single day. Part of his mind and heart was toying with the possibility that maybe Tadashi was attracted to him and he couldn't deny it. Hiro was a cute guy with that constantly messy hair, that gap between his teeth, those large, wide brown eyes, and that small body of his, but Tadashi wasn't going to make a move first. Actually, he wasn't even going to bring it up or even try to think about it. While he wanted to see Hiro again, Tadashi wasn't going to force him into anything or pressure him. No, he would let Hiro come to him if he wanted to.

For now, Tadashi needed to focus on school, on protecting San Fransokyo, and on his aunt and her small but highly successful café that he had to work at on weekends – not that he minded doing so. So, while he continued on his way home, he tried to think of the shower he was going to take and how fast it would take for him to fall asleep. Yet his mind continued looking back on Hiro's cute and soft face, his large brown eyes and his body, so small that it'd probably fit perfectly against Tadashi's own.

That was when Tadashi stopped walking. He was almost home, having lost himself so deeply in thought that it had practically taken him no time at all to reach his block, but that didn't matter. What did matter was his sudden epiphany: he was falling for Hiro. He had only just met the boy and hardly even knew him on a personal level and yet he was thinking about how cute he was and how their bodies would fit together? Seriously?

Well…

Okay.

Tadashi could admit, probably more times than what was necessary, that he had done and gone through stranger things – like seeing his buddy, Fred, dress up like Chibi Moon from _Sailor Moon_ and parade around the SFIT campus (it wasn't even Halloween…it wasn't even October!). Therefore, having been struck by one of Cupid's arrows so suddenly shouldn't have been that out of the norm for him. Tadashi ran a hand over his helmet and shook his head before he started his walking again.

He was on a ship and it was sinking fast. Before too long, he'd probably drown and there was really no way for him to stop it. And yet, he was strangely okay with that.

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A/N: Just a little side note: I changed the age that Hiro graduated high school. Let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!


	4. Moping

A/N: I know I don't say this enough, but I just want to thank you all for reading my story/stories and for supporting me as you have been since day one. Thank you. I appreciate you guys doing that for me. Here's another chapter! Let me know what you think! R&R. Enjoy!

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**Moping**

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It had almost been a week and a half since the last time Tadashi saw Hiro. He would be lying if he said he didn't miss the boy, and he wasn't a liar. Nor was he one to deny what he felt. He missed Hiro. Really, really missed him. In the short time he had known him, which was, like, literally a handful of days, Tadashi had gone from curious and amused to genuinely interested and concerned, wishing for the other's company as the days passed by him.

Their last encounter wasn't what Tadashi would call good. Not that he'd call it bad, it was just…intense and strange. It wasn't often – hardly ever as a matter of fact - that he ran into someone younger whose intelligence far surpassed his own and who was so…different from everyone he knew. Not even that; there was just something about Hiro that called to Tadashi, that made him want to see him more and more. And just when he thought that maybe they were moving beyond the weird yet refreshing witty banter they shared…things stopped. They didn't reverse. They just…stopped.

It made him worry a lot, a lot more than he usually worried considering that he hardly actually knew Hiro. But Tadashi just couldn't help himself. What was Hiro doing right now? Was he okay? Was he hurt? Was he thinking about Tadashi at all? Was he regretting meeting him? Did he hate him now? Did he leave the city? Would he? Was he missing Tadashi the way that Tadashi missed him? Was he eating properly? Getting enough sleep? Was he planning Tadashi's demise this very instant?

Tadashi shook his head and sighed, his eyes gazing at the city below him though he didn't see the streets. He wasn't actually looking at the people down below; he was too far gone within his own mind worrying about Hiro that he wouldn't notice a burning building in front of him.

But it was driving him insane! It was the not knowing that was killing him the most. Hiro could be doing anything. Anything could have happened to him. He could be hurt, he could be bleeding, he could be unconscious, he could be dead…

Shaking his head, Tadashi stood up and turned in the direction of home. His aunt had noticed something was wrong. He wasn't as happy as he usually was; he wasn't as talkative. It was obvious he was worried, but Aunt Cass didn't know why he was worried or who it was directed at. As a matter of fact, she didn't even know what Tadashi did. Tadashi hadn't told her, hadn't wanted her to worry about him needlessly, though she wasn't stupid, so she probably had an inkling and just didn't bring it up.

His friends knew something was wrong too. But again, Tadashi hadn't told them anything. No one knew. Not about Hiro and not about what Tadashi did at night and where he went. He didn't want to put any of them in danger, in case he was hurt or in case he had messed with the wrong person and they decided to go after his loved ones. So no one knew except Hiro.

And that…

That had felt amazing.

It was a wonderful feeling, having someone know that he was out here doing what he could to protect the people of his city. And what more, it seemed that Hiro was helping him. Well, not really, but he was doing his part. And it was just nice, having someone there, someone that he could relate to, someone who didn't ask a lot of questions, someone who just accepted the things he did and said without question, someone that he was interested in, someone he could envision spending his days with…

Tadashi shook his head again. He needed to think straight, he knew that. He also knew that he couldn't, not when Hiro was on his mind all day and all night. But it was silly. No one could fall for someone so fast, right? That just didn't make sense. Of course, none of this made sense, did it? Him dressing up in this suit and climbing buildings and helping people and stopping criminals and doing things that no normal person did. That didn't make sense either and yet he still did it, has been for a year.

Sighing deeply, Tadashi headed home. He needed sleep. And Hiro wasn't going to show up anyway.

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"Why are you moping around my gift shop again?! Go out there and find your boyfriend, jeez!" Mrs. Niikura brandished her broom at Hiro, who winced ever so slightly. He was not friends with that broom, not friends at all…

"I'm not moping! I just…have a lot to do," Hiro replied lamely. "That's why I'm not going to see him."

"Yeah, sure, lot to do, huh? Like moping around in my gift shop and drinking that hot chocolate that you got at his aunt's café," Mrs. Niikura grumbled and started sweeping the floor of her gift shop again.

Hiro suppressed a sigh and slid further down in his chair, sipping his hot chocolate – it was his favorite and it was from the Lucky Cat Café (even when he wasn't going out every night to see Tadashi he was still drawn to him). He watched without really seeing as Mrs. Niikura swept shop, preparing to close down for the night. She had a rough and tough outer shell, but she cared for Hiro. She saw him as a kind of grandson since she, like him, had no family of her own to speak of. She took care of him, even though she nagged him something awful half of the time. But Hiro knew that she did it because she cared and that meant a lot more to him than he could actually put into words. It was nice having her there, giving him guidance in her own unique way and giving him comfort as well.

She was right, of course. Hiro needed to stop hiding and go and see Tadashi. He knew Tadashi's routine by now; he had stalked him – and there was no other way to put it aside from that because that's pretty much what he did after meeting him the first time – well enough to know his routine. Tadashi was always punctual unless something came up, and in San Fransokyo the only thing that usually arose was a cat getting stuck up a tree or something. So, it wasn't like Hiro didn't know where he'd be and at what time.

He just…

The last time hadn't gone according to plan. Hiro liked Tadashi a lot, as in a lot a lot. But he hadn't wanted him to know who he was or tell him about his baggage so soon, so early on. Baggage like his was a game changer, and it could go well or awful depending. Hiro knew he was making it awful, but he couldn't help it. As much as he tried to act like he was over it and like he didn't care, his façade didn't last when it was just himself and memories were hard to dismiss when they were bad and painful. That's how it usually went, though: the good memories fade fast but the bad and painful ones stuck around.

He hated it. And it wasn't as though he tried to keep them alive. But there were some things that he couldn't keep away; they just reared their ugly heads constantly. It wasn't as though Hiro hadn't tried to keep it in the past, but…

"Get out! We're closed!" Mrs. Niikura shouted at two young boys, no older than nine, and they scurried out of her gift shop when she got her broom. That caught Hiro's attention and he blinked, realizing that he should probably be getting back to his apartment that way so Mrs. Niikura could actually work in peace.

"I guess I'll get going too, Mrs. Niikura," Hiro said and he quietly tip toed towards the door. He did not want to have a run in with that broom; once was bad enough.

"Hold it! Don't go anywhere yet!" Mrs. Niikura squawked at him, the very imagine of an old, Asian lady who had bad hearing to go with that bad eye sight. Hiro shook his head but smiled fondly at her nonetheless.

"Here! This is for you since you like to miss meals so much!" Mrs. Niikura shoved a nicely wrapped bento box in his hands. Hiro blinked and looked at her. She gave him a look that told him he shouldn't even bother with arguing.

"Thanks! I'll be sure to eat it as soon as I get home," Hiro said quickly, smiling at her. Mrs. Niikura smiled smugly back, standing proud and tall – and yes, she was, not so surprisingly, taller than he was.

"Good boy. You learn fast," she said. "Now get out of my shop!" Hiro didn't need to see her reach for her broom before he all but bolted out of the door.

"And go see your boyfriend tomorrow!" Mrs. Niikura yelled out at him from the doorway of her shop. Great. Unbelievable. Now everyone outside knew he had a boyfriend.

Wait a minute! He didn't have a boyfriend! Tadashi was so totally not his boyfriend. Nope. Nu-uh! No way! He was just a nerd who thought he was Batman or something. But he definitely was not Hiro's boyfriend. He just…y'know…knew stuff about Hiro that not many people in this city knew. And he was hot. And totally too nice – that was going to get him killed someday.

Hiro sighed as he walked home to his cold, empty apartment. Who was he kidding? He was head over heels for Tadashi and he knew it! He was just so screwed up in his head that he was freaking out about Tadashi finding out who he was and what had happened. It's not like Tadashi wouldn't have found out eventually, right? Especially if they had kept seeing each other on the roof tops of the city, pretending to be heroes. There was just something about Tadashi that made Hiro want to get close for a change, to let someone in.

But could he do that? Would he? Was he strong enough to take that risk?

Hiro didn't know. But what he did know was that he didn't want Mrs. Niikura to smack him with her broom again, so he was going to have to go out tomorrow night and see Tadashi. He ignored the skip his heart made and the excitement rushing through his veins at the very thought. It wasn't as though he actually wanted to see Tadashi; he just didn't want Mrs. Niikura to sick her broom on him. That was it. There were no other feelings involved.

Oh, who was he kidding? Hiro had the hots for some nerdy goody two-shoes. This was what his life had become. God, he was screwed.


	5. Tied Up

A/N: Ehehehe…I hadn't realized just how long it's been since I've updated this story. I guess I was too busy working on my Titans one to pay any attention. I'm so sorry! Please forgive me! R&R. Enjoy!

**~…~**

**Tied Up**

**~…~**

"This is all your fault," Hiro grunted as he struggled to escape from the net he was currently wrapped up in with Tadashi. He didn't succeed. In fact, he'd even go as far as to say he made the entanglement even worse. His night was just getting better and better.

"How is this my fault exactly?" Tadashi asked him, struggling himself, trying to disentangle his legs from Hiro's.

"If Mrs. Niikura hadn't threatened to beat me with her broom if I didn't go and see you, I wouldn't have stumbled upon that...that...that weirdo mask guy. And if I hadn't, then I wouldn't have wound up running from him and stumbling into you before falling through the roof of this stupid, old warehouse and then THROUGH THE SECOND FLOOR onto this stupid fishing net," Hiro spat, beyond frustrated and embarrassed and even feeling a bit hopeless at his situation.

"So, this is all your fault," Hiro finished with a huff, glaring at anything other than Tadashi, who was staring wide-eyed at him.

Silence fell upon them and Hiro couldn't help but think back on how he got caught in this old fishing net with Tadashi. He had done as Mrs. Niikura had told him yesterday: he set out in the early part of the evening to see if Tadashi was on the prowl (prowl, as if a goody-goody like Tadashi 'prowled'). After being out for over an hour, Hiro was wondering if he'd actually get to see the older teen. Half an hour later, he was on his way home after not seeing even a trace of Tadashi. That was when he saw him: the weirdo in the Kabuki mask.

Hiro didn't know what he was doing or anything like that; as a matter of fact, he had just caught a glimpse of him, but it was enough to spark his curiosity. Without even thinking about it, Hiro had chased after him, climbing, jumping, and running on top of buildings as he continued his pursuit. And that was how he bumped into Tadashi, literally. They were close to the docks now - Hiro had hardly noticed, too wrapped up in his own curiosity and drive to just see that guy again - and a few of the buildings weren't as well cared for, some falling apart badly due to the fact that newer ones were built further down the way. When Hiro and Tadashi tumbled, they landed on a decrepit part of the roof that gave way beneath them, which then caused them to fall through the metal walkway that connected two parts of the second floor.

And then, they landed on a net that just to happened to be a trap that, well, entrapped them together. God, was Hiro embarrassed! He felt so stupid for getting himself caught in this stupid net like some awful B-movie cliché. What made this entire situation even worse was the fact that he was caught with Tadashi, the guy he kind of, sort of thought was incredibly attractive, who had a nice body that was surprisingly tone considering that he was a major nerd. Actually, Tadashi's body was pretty muscular, not overly so, but his arms had some nicely defined muscles and Hiro bet that he had some abs and he bet his butt was firm and he so did not need to think about that kind of stuff while stuck in a net with the guy!

"I'm sorry," Tadashi said quietly, breaking the silence between them. They had both ceased their futile struggling and Hiro looked over his shoulder at the older teen. He looked truly conflicted and upset, but sincere. Hell, Hiro doubted Tadashi had ever told an outright lie in his life! He was too good, too pure, to do anything bad.

"It's not your fault," Hiro mumbled with a sigh, feeling kind of like a jerk. "I mean, I was the one who was chasing after Kabuki Guy."

"You weren't the only one. I saw him just as I was on my way home and I just got this...feeling," Tadashi replied. He slumped and leaned against the net. Hiro felt bad for the guy, but he wasn't about to give him a hug or pat on the back. He couldn't. Not with the way his body was situated in the tight confines on the net against Tadashi's own.

"Like he was up to no good?" Hiro asked him. Tadashi nodded.

"Yeah. I mean, why was he running on the roof tops of buildings anyway? I doubt he even knew we were pursuing him," he said. "And then, for this net to be here and for it to spring up and keep up tied up like this... He had to know we were following him. But why trap us like this?"

"I dunno. Maybe he's been watching us. I mean, it's not like there are a lot of people wearing suits and get-ups and hopping from building to building in this city," Hiro said.

He tried to pull his right arm, which was trapped between his body and the net, free, but to no avail. His other arm was dangling limply from one of the many holes in the net, Tadashi's knee pressing uncomfortable against his shoulder, making it hard and painful to move. It seemed as though he and Tadashi had gotten themselves into a real pickle with all of their struggling.

"But why watch us?" Tadashi asked. "We're hard to spot with our suits and we go out at night. And we haven't seen him at all before now, so what's he really up to? And it's not like we really do anything. All I do is observe and help where I can."

"All I do is pick-pocket Yama and his goons," Hiro sighed.

"What?" Tadashi said, his voice a mix between disbelief and intrigue. Hiro laughed nervously. He had not meant for that to come up.

"Yeah...yeah...that's...kind of how Yama and I became acquainted," Hiro explained.

"Why did you pick his pocket?" Tadashi said, looking both amused and worried. Hiro shrugged and grinned.

"I was bored and I thought it'd be fun. I wasn't wrong," Hiro said. "I have to have something to keep this big brain of mine active and functioning."

"Well then, why don't you think a way to get us out of this net?" Tadashi countered, sounding more teasing than incredulous.

"I'm working on it. I-" Hiro stopped and stared down at the floor below him. Unlike Tadashi, he wasn't wearing his suit, so he couldn't just use one of his handy gadgets to help them out. But, he did have a pocket knife on him and that should work well enough. If he could get to it. But it was in his back pocket and he couldn't get to it because his arms were kind of trapped.

"What?" Tadashi said, picking up that Hiro had some sort of plan.

"There's a knife in my back pocket," Hiro told him.

"A knife?" Tadashi asked, once again sounding concerned and worried. Sheesh. He's worse than Mrs. Niikura.

"Well...it's more like a Swiss Army Knife, but it should work! If you could just get it and start sawing, that'd be great," Hiro said, giving him a small, unsure grin. "The net looks kind of old; Kabuki Guy probably found it in this warehouse or something, so it shouldn't take long."

"Okay. I like the sound of that," Tadashi said as he reached into Hiro's pocket for his knife. Hiro tried not to pay any attention to that excited leap his heart did when Tadashi's hand brushed against his butt and took his Swiss Army Knife out.

"Here goes nothing," Tadashi said softly and he flipped open the knife and began to cut through the roping.

After one snapped apart, he worked on another and then another. Hiro began to fell the net pull under their combined weight. It wouldn't take long now. He looked down and almost sighed in relief. Well, he had managed to find Tadashi and they were speaking like normal people, so everything would hopefully turn out okay. He blinked. And then he realized that there was nothing on the floor to break their fall.

"Uh, Ta...Tadashi," Hiro said, his voice cracking. He was already in pain from the fall through the roof and the metal walkway and from his body being in the awkward, uncomfortable position it was in; he didn't need his face to be splattered against the concrete floor of an abandoned warehouse.

Too late, though. With a final cut, the net gave way and Tadashi and Hiro tumbled gracelessly to the floor. Hiro was half afraid that he'd get crushed as the ground neared, but he was grabbed by Tadashi and pulled to his chest. The next thing he knew, he was lying on top of something kind of soft, kind of hard, and definitely warm.

"Tadashi!" Hiro gasped and scrambled up, getting off of the older teen so that he recover from making impact with the floor first, and with Hiro's body weight on top of his own.

"That," Tadashi gasped in a pained voice, "was...not my brightest...idea."

"I'll say, knucklehead. You could have been crushed," Hiro quipped, feeling overwhelming relief when Tadashi sat up and held his stomach with an arm.

"Oh yeah, by all ninety pounds of you," Tadashi countered and huffed in pain. "I just...need a moment."

"Okay," Hiro said and scooted closer to Tadashi, just in case in did something like faint. It had nothing to do with him just wanting to be closer to him again. Nope. Not at all.

"Here's your knife," Tadashi said after about five minutes of huffing and puffing. He handed Hiro the red, folded multi-tool, which was promptly returned to the pocket it came from.

"Thanks. And thanks for...y'know...breaking my fall," Hiro said, blushing as he did so.

"No problem. I'm happy to help. Always wanted to be a human pillow," Tadashi said and he carefully stood up. Hiro was up with him, his body stiff and sore but not as much as Tadashi's.

"Do you need help?" Hiro asked him. Tadashi shook his head.

"Nah. I'll be fine. My suit made it less...painful," he replied. Hiro snorted.

"I can see that," he grumbled.

"I heard that," Tadashi said. He looked around the dark warehouse. "I wonder where Kabuki Guy is."

"I dunno. I'm just glad he wasn't here to finish us off or something," Hiro said.

"It's weird, though. Why go to the trouble of setting up that trap and then just...leave us?" Tadashi asked.

"How should I know? I just get the feeling that we'll run into him again," Hiro snapped, wanting to get out of the warehouse and back home. Or just into the vicinity of lights or something. "You can ask him then. Now let's get outta here."

"Yeah. Yeah, okay," Tadashi said and then turned and followed Hiro.

Somehow, they managed to get outside via a broken window on the ground floor. Once outside, they put as much distance between them and the warehouse and the docks as they could before they had to stop to regain their breath.

"That was...not fun," Tadashi said, leaning against the side of a building.

"Yeah. Let's not do that again. Like, ever," Hiro responded, running a hand through his already messy hair.

"It's nice to finally see you again," Tadashi said, giving Hiro a tired but sincere and kind smile. It made Hiro's heart skip a beat.

"It's nice to see you too," Hiro said, and as he said the words, he knew he meant them with all of his heart.

"No more hiding, I hope," Tadashi said, his smile turning slightly mischievous. Hiro gave him a small smile in return.

"No more hiding," he confirmed. "Unless it's from bad guys or Mrs. Niikura's broom."

"I can live with that," Tadashi said. "Well, I better get going. See you tomorrow night?" He looked so hopeful and happy that Hiro just couldn't find it in him to say no. Not that he would have anyway.

"Yep. Tomorrow night for sure," Hiro said.

"Awesome! Good night, Hiro," Tadashi said. "See you tomorrow!" He began walking down the sidewalk, away from Hiro, who was already missing his company.

"Man, you've got it bad, Takachiho," Hiro muttered to himself. Turning around, Hiro headed towards his apartment, anticipating the arrival of tomorrow night and seeing Tadashi again.


End file.
